The Essentia Health Regional Foundation can receive up to $200,000 from the Otto Bremer Trust by raising a dollar-for-dollar match. The money will help build a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Essentia Health-Fargo.

“This is an incredibly exciting opportunity,” says Essentia Health Regional Foundation Director Sue Omdalen. “So many people in our region are reaching out and saying they want to help the precious babies fighting for their lives in the NICU.”

You can help reach the $200,000 goal by attending the Essentially Yours event from 5-10 p.m. April 5 in the Avalon Events Center, 2525 Ninth Ave. S. in Fargo. Tickets cost $50 each and attendees will have the opportunity to mix and mingle with folks in the community and bid on items at the silent and live auction.

“We have to raise the matching dollars in this next year to get the total $200,000,” explains Omdalen. “It’s a big goal, but I know the people in our region are so caring and compassionate. We all know someone who has been impacted by the efforts of a NICU and now it’s our time to donate in their honor.”

The new NICU will help meet the growing need at the Level III unit. Research shows NICU patients in private rooms have more positive outcomes than those in an open-unit. The new unit will have 14 private rooms for babies and their families.

About the Otto Bremer Trust The Otto Bremer Trust, based in St. Paul, Minn., is a private charitable trust established in 1944 by founder Otto Bremer, a successful banker and community business leader. OBT owns 92 percent of Bremer Bank and also manages a diversified investment portfolio. The mission of OBT is to invest in people, places and opportunities in the Upper Midwest. Since its inception, OBT has invested more than $600 million in organizations throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and western Wisconsin. Visit OttoBremer.org.